Legal Help Desk

Today plaintiff couples in Darby v. Orr and Lazaro v. Orr, the lawsuits brought by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois seeking the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Illinois, met with legislators to urge them to vote in favor of a bill ending the ban on marriage for same-sex couples in Illinois. The bill, House Bill 5710, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, could be voted on by the Illinois General Assembly in January 2013.

"We want our lawmakers to know how important this is to our family," said Anne Dickey, plaintiff in Darby v. Orr. "Every day, our child feels different from his friends because Laura and I aren't allowed to get married. Whether it is through the courts or the legislature, we need the freedom to marry."